CREDIT: THE STAR ONLINE (SOURCE)
2AM featured in a local Malaysian publication! ^^
QUOTE
The 2AM guys are taking the region by storm with their 2011 Asian Tour.
SO what if they have been unkindly labelled by some as the “ugly stepbrothers” of 2PM?
Anyone who has heard 2AM’s swoonsong hit Even If I die, I Can’t Let You Go will have to admit that this K-pop ballad group is by far the superior band.
And now, it looks like they are catching up in the looks department, too, sporting the must-have of any K-pop hearttrob wannabe – other than the perfect coiff and flawless skin – washboard abs.
(OK, history lesson first for the uninitiated: 2AM and 2PM are the two groups that branched out from 11-member boy band One Day; 2AM went down the romantic ballad aisle while 2PM took on dance grooves.)Since its debut in 2008, 2AM may have yet to reach the heights of 2PM but the group still garnered a huge following in the region.
And guess what, their more eclectic latest album Saint ‘O Clock shows that the crooners have hot dance moves, too. 2PM had better defend their turf, especially since their ballad brothers are set to take the region by storm with their 2011 Asian Tour.
2AM – comprising Jo Kwon, 21; Jinwoon, 19; Seulong, 23; and Changmin, 26 – conquered Manila (April 30), their first stop on the tour, and will pop into Kuala Lumpur this Saturday before heading off to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.
As 2AM leader Jo Kwon gushed in an online interview about the upcoming tour: “We like to go wherever people who love us are. We would like to impress fans and know one another through the concert. We haven’t been to a lot of places yet but we are going to do a lot of things abroad in the future. We can’t wait to see our fans!”
Yes, IAMs (the nickname for 2AM fans), you’d better get ready your funky K-pop outfits, glowsticks, posters and gifts for your idols.
Although they know that the social networking sites have helped boost their popularity far and wide outside South Korea, the reception they got in Manila still took the group by surprise. “We give our best in our every project, in every show, and we are glad that people from abroad are noticing our talent and paying attention to us,” said Changmin.
Of course, it is not difficult to notice 2AM’s talent: their brand of music is different from the cookie-cutter dance numbers that are currently flooding the K-Pop scene.
And as a group of vocal trainers in South Korea declared in a survey recently – 2AM has the best vocal chops among the current crop of idol bands.
The modest band boys said the honour has motivated them to work even harder. “When we heard about it, we were very pleased. It is an honour for us. We are going to make more effort, and we want to have many people listen to good music. We will do our best not to fall short of people’s expectations, so please keep watching out for us.”
This recognition is timely with the flak that many idol groups have recently been getting from music critics who feel that the idols have their fingers in too many cakes and question their commitment to music.
True, like many other idol groups, each of 2AM member has appeared in various variety shows and TV programmes.
Jo Kwon, who is active in sitcoms and has appeared in the hit reality show We Got Married as the virtual husband of Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga In, rubbished the criticisms.
“The situation is such because some members of the idol groups have various abilities such as singing, rapping, and they are working hard to hone their talents. We hope fans will at least understand,” said Jo Kwon.
Seulong, who last year appeared in K-drama Personal Taste, agreed that while music is important, it is through acting and appeareances in variety shows that they can show their different abilities and personalities.
“Going into new fields and chalking up accomplishments mean a lot to us. Sometimes it is tough, but we’ll keep on trying our best,” he said.
And anyone who doubts their commitment to music should just take heed of their “world domination” plans.
Jinwoon revealed: “We are now studying foreign languages. We want to communicate with the fans directly. Besides, we are mainly singing ballads that express our feelings through lyrics, so we think studying foreign languages is crucial.
“We are also trying to listen to more artistes from many other nations. We want to understand the international music industry better.”
■ The DiGi Live K-pop 2Am Showcase will be held at 6pm this Saturday at Wisma MCA, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. For details of the showcase and admission passes to all the activities, go to facebook.com/DiGiYouths or universalmusic.com.my.
SO what if they have been unkindly labelled by some as the “ugly stepbrothers” of 2PM?
Anyone who has heard 2AM’s swoonsong hit Even If I die, I Can’t Let You Go will have to admit that this K-pop ballad group is by far the superior band.
And now, it looks like they are catching up in the looks department, too, sporting the must-have of any K-pop hearttrob wannabe – other than the perfect coiff and flawless skin – washboard abs.
(OK, history lesson first for the uninitiated: 2AM and 2PM are the two groups that branched out from 11-member boy band One Day; 2AM went down the romantic ballad aisle while 2PM took on dance grooves.)Since its debut in 2008, 2AM may have yet to reach the heights of 2PM but the group still garnered a huge following in the region.
And guess what, their more eclectic latest album Saint ‘O Clock shows that the crooners have hot dance moves, too. 2PM had better defend their turf, especially since their ballad brothers are set to take the region by storm with their 2011 Asian Tour.
2AM – comprising Jo Kwon, 21; Jinwoon, 19; Seulong, 23; and Changmin, 26 – conquered Manila (April 30), their first stop on the tour, and will pop into Kuala Lumpur this Saturday before heading off to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.
As 2AM leader Jo Kwon gushed in an online interview about the upcoming tour: “We like to go wherever people who love us are. We would like to impress fans and know one another through the concert. We haven’t been to a lot of places yet but we are going to do a lot of things abroad in the future. We can’t wait to see our fans!”
Yes, IAMs (the nickname for 2AM fans), you’d better get ready your funky K-pop outfits, glowsticks, posters and gifts for your idols.
Although they know that the social networking sites have helped boost their popularity far and wide outside South Korea, the reception they got in Manila still took the group by surprise. “We give our best in our every project, in every show, and we are glad that people from abroad are noticing our talent and paying attention to us,” said Changmin.
Of course, it is not difficult to notice 2AM’s talent: their brand of music is different from the cookie-cutter dance numbers that are currently flooding the K-Pop scene.
And as a group of vocal trainers in South Korea declared in a survey recently – 2AM has the best vocal chops among the current crop of idol bands.
The modest band boys said the honour has motivated them to work even harder. “When we heard about it, we were very pleased. It is an honour for us. We are going to make more effort, and we want to have many people listen to good music. We will do our best not to fall short of people’s expectations, so please keep watching out for us.”
This recognition is timely with the flak that many idol groups have recently been getting from music critics who feel that the idols have their fingers in too many cakes and question their commitment to music.
True, like many other idol groups, each of 2AM member has appeared in various variety shows and TV programmes.
Jo Kwon, who is active in sitcoms and has appeared in the hit reality show We Got Married as the virtual husband of Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga In, rubbished the criticisms.
“The situation is such because some members of the idol groups have various abilities such as singing, rapping, and they are working hard to hone their talents. We hope fans will at least understand,” said Jo Kwon.
Seulong, who last year appeared in K-drama Personal Taste, agreed that while music is important, it is through acting and appeareances in variety shows that they can show their different abilities and personalities.
“Going into new fields and chalking up accomplishments mean a lot to us. Sometimes it is tough, but we’ll keep on trying our best,” he said.
And anyone who doubts their commitment to music should just take heed of their “world domination” plans.
Jinwoon revealed: “We are now studying foreign languages. We want to communicate with the fans directly. Besides, we are mainly singing ballads that express our feelings through lyrics, so we think studying foreign languages is crucial.
“We are also trying to listen to more artistes from many other nations. We want to understand the international music industry better.”
■ The DiGi Live K-pop 2Am Showcase will be held at 6pm this Saturday at Wisma MCA, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. For details of the showcase and admission passes to all the activities, go to facebook.com/DiGiYouths or universalmusic.com.my.
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